Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-01-01

f0l underUOne, slSntly InuoaoinS her uistance
from the guides.
Miss Alice shrugged her pretty shoulders
soornfully, but ignored her mothers implica-
tion.
~You were particularly warned against
going into the valley at this season" abe only
replied, grimly.
Mrs Rightbody raised her eyes impatisntly.
~You know how anxious I was to discover
your poor fathers strange correspondent
Alice You have no consideration"
HBut when you have discovered him-what
thenr queried Miss Alice.
"What thenr
~Yes. Ny belief is that you win find the
telegram only mere business cipher, and all
this quest mere nonsense."
GAhce! Why, yom yourself thought your
fathers conduct that night very stranga
Have you forgottenr
The young lady had net, but, for some far
reaching feminine reason, chose to ignore il
at that moment, when her late tumble in the
mow was still fresh in her mind.
aAnd this woman, whoever she may be-"
continued Mra Rghtbody.
allow do you know there's woman in tho
'caseF' interrupted His Alice, wickedly,
fear.
"How there's . womanan
slowly calculated Mrs. Rightbody, founder
ing in the snow at the unexpected possibility
Of such a ridiculous question. But here her
guide flew to her assistance, and stopped fur
ther speech. And, indeed, q grave problem
was before them.
The road that led to their single place Of
refugee cabin, half hotel, half trading post,
scarce mile away-skirted the base of the
rocky dome, and passed perilously near the
precipitous wall of the valley. There was
rapid descent Of O hundred yards or moro to
this terrace-like passage; and the guides
paused for moment Of consultation, coolly
oblivious, alike to the terrified questioning of
Mrs. Rightbody, or the half insolent indie
pendence of the daughter. The elder guide
was russell bearded, stout and humorous; the
younger was dark bearded, slight and Sc
rious.
"Ef you kin git young Bunker Hill to let
you tote her on your shoulders, I'll get the
madam to hang on to me-" came to Mrs
Rghtbody's Mortified ears as the expression
of her particular companion.
"Freeze to the old gal, and don't reckon on
me if the daughter starts in to play it alone"
was the enigmatical response of the younger
guide.
Miss Alice overheard both propositions;
and, before the two men returned to their
side, that high-spirited young lady had urged
her horse down the declivity.
Alas! at this moment a gust Of whirling
snow swept down upon her. There was a
founder, a mis-step, fatal strain on the
wrong rein, a fall, few plucky but unavail-
ing struggles, and both horse and rider slid
ignominiously down toward the rocky shelf.
Mrs. Rightbody screamed. Miss Alice, from
. confused debris Of mow and ice, uplifted .
vexed and coloring face to the younger guide,
little the more angrily, perhaps, that she
saw q shade Of impatience on his face.
"Don't move Tut tie one end of the LASS
under your arms, and throw me the other,"
he said, quietly.
"What do you mean by 'lass'-the lasso"
asked Miss Alice, disgustedly.
"Yes, ma'am."
Then why don't you say soi"
"Oh, Alice" reproachfully interpolated
Mrs Rightbody, encircled by the elder guides
stalwart arm.
Miss Alice deigned no reply, but drew the
loop of the lasso over her shoulders, and let
1t drop to her round waist. Then she essayed
to throw the other end to her guide. Dismal
failurel The first fling nearly knocked her
OF the ledge; the second went all wild against
the rocky wall; the third caught in thorn
bush, twenty feet below her companions feet.
Miss Alice's arm sunk helplessly to her side,
at which signal of unqualified surrender, the
younger guide threw himself half way down
the slope, worked his way to the thorn bush,
hung for moment perilously over the para
pet, secured the lasso, and then began to pull
away at his lovely burden. Miss Alice was
no dead weight, however, but steadily half
scrambled on her hands and knees to within
foot or two Of her rescuer. At this too
familiar proximity, she stood up, and leaned
. little stifly against the line, causing tho
guide to give an extra pull, which had the
hmentable effect of landing her almost in his
arms As it was, her intelligent forehead
struck his nose sharply, and regret to add,
treating of romantic situation, caused that
somewhat prominent sign and token Of a
hero to bleed freely. Miss Alice instantly
clapped handful of snow over his nostrils.
'"Now elevate your right arm," she said
commandingly.
He did as he was bidden, but sulkily.
"That congresses the artery"
No man, with pretty woman's hand and
ahandful of snow over his mouth and nose,
could effectively utter a heroic sentence, nor,
with his arm elevated stifiy over his head,
assume a heroic attitude. But, when his
mouth was free again, he said half-sulkily,
apologetically:
II might have known a girl couldn't throw
worth cent"
"Whyf demanded Miss Alice sharply.
"Because-why-becaus you see-they
haven't got the experience" he stammered
feebly.
"Nonsensel they haven't the clavicle-thats
all! It's because I'm woman, and smaller
in the collar bone, that haven't the play Of
the forearm which you have. Seel" She
squared her shoulders slightly, and turned
the blaze of her dark eyes full on his. "Ex-
perience, indeedl A girl can learn anything
a boy can"
Apprehension took the place of ill-humor in
her hearer. He turned his eyes hastily away,
and glanced above him. The elder guide had
gone forward to catch Miss Alice's horse,
which, relieved of his rider, was founder
ing toward the trail. Mrs. Rightbody was
nowhere to be seen. And these two were
L